copyrightJumanji The Next Level - Review
Advertisemen
Within the general tendency in the film industry to abuse sequels as long as the disbursement is justified with large numbers at the box office, it was a matter of time that Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (almost 1,000 million collections with a budget of 90 ) had yours. Jumanji: The next level is the continuation of the story we met, of those accidental heroes that were trapped inside the video game this time.
The surprise was certainly capitalized with what the previous one presented to us, based on an imitation model whereby the main actors of the adventure acted as virtual avatars of the real characters of the adventure so that all the focus on imitation and The clichés gave enough play. It is not the same to see The Rock playing the reckless Dr. Bravestone as being the antisocial version of Spencer, the character of Alex Wolff.
Here again, this comic resource is abused, but adding even more dynamic thanks to the inclusion of two new real-world characters, Eddie (Danny DeVito) and Milo (Danny Glover), and one in the virtual world of Jumanji, Ming (Awkwafina ). All this mess makes more sense when we see that the four main characters played by Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black do not always act as we remembered since their personality has been taken from another of the players of this adventure.
Of course, once again it becomes an effective film as an adventure comedy, a cinematic genre certainly in disuse that shows us so many action scenes that take away the hiccups (although we will not have the best CGI in the world to represent animals), combined with the most stupid dialogues, but in a good way, since it is not a tape that takes anything seriously and generally its lines will give us a smile.
In argumental terms, without going to gut anything, our heroes of the first film will be forced to return to Jumanji by accident and in this case, the mission will be different, having passed from chapter and facing a new stereotypical villain that terrifies the inhabitants of the game, played by Rory McCann (The Dog in Game of Thrones). Of course, gags for gamers such as the table of strengths and weaknesses, the NPCs whose lines of dialogue are fixed and are going to be of little use ... or the kinematics that appear in the least opportune moment cutting the rhythm.
To try to distance itself from the previous one, and so that it does not feel so repetitive, the jungle gives way to new ecosystems such as the desert or icy mountains. In this way, it expands the dimension of this virtual continent of the videogame and gives clues that the intention is to continue expanding this cinematic universe whenever the public responds.
We will not find great surprises in the script signed by Jake Kasdan, Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. The fact that as part of the scriptwriters, the director has focused on enhancing what he knows that worked best in the previous one, the action scenes that are resolved in an unorthodox way and the impact on the dialogues of the two misfits elderly, the two Danny, trying to understand what a videogame is and what they do inside.
Despite focusing a little more on the real world and how the different characters fit into it, we will not find serious rhythm problems despite their 2 hours duration, which we can already consider the current standard. It focuses only on a few levels, it does not mean much in explaining what was already done in the previous one (just enough for the yoyos to understand) and its development and gags make it suitable for all audiences. The little ones will like it for one thing and the elders will not be able to avoid laughing with some of their dialogues and all the dynamics of performances/imitations / clichés.
Pros
Maintains the same style as the first as an adventure comedy and achieves its purpose: to have fun and entertain.
The three new cast members (Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, and Awkwafina) are a great inclusion.
Two hours flown.
Cons
It is predictable as she alone.
There are still clichés that stay between two glasses of water between fun and offensive for certain groups.
The verdict
Jumanji: Next Level does not risk the slightest and opts for the same formula that made the previous one a blockbuster at Christmas 2017. Modifying and investing roles and imitations still manages to feel fresh and non-repetitive, an effort also made in visual to leave the jungle aside. The original cast led by The Rock, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black is again very successful, but this time even the three additions shine more: Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, and Awkwafina.